Liquid-fuel-burning apparatus



May 29, 1928.

J. H. M ILVAINE LIQUID FUEL BURNING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 23, 1926 Patented May 1928.

Joan nmcrnvams, or LAKE FOREST, rumors.

LIQUID-FUiEL-BURNING APPARATUS,

i Applicationflled August 23,1 26. Serial No. 130,836. y

This invention relates to liquid fuel burning apparatus, such as oil burners, and is principally concerned iwithlthe provision of an oil burner of the ressure'or force feed type which is convertili oration in an emergency, such for example asmight arise due to a failure of the pump or the electric current motor therefor. j y A y The principal object is. to provide in the fuel delivery line, which is normally fed with fuel under a certain pressure by a pump operated electrically.orotherwise, an auxiliary feed connection or by-pass to the delivery line so arranged with respect to the source of fuel supply for the pumpthat fuel is fed therethrough by gravity. This bypass connection is in turn restricted so as to furnish only a fraction of the normal oil delivery such as will keep the furnace operating satisfactorily by anatural chimney draft and without undue smoking temporarily until the normal'force feed and air blower draft is resumed.

. According to the present invention a twoway connection is provided at the outlet side of the pump With thefuel delivery line and a stand pipe in which a certain level of fuel is maintained when the pump is in normal operation, the one way in said connec-v tion serving as the main fuel supply duct and establishing communication between the fuel delivery line and theolitlet side of the pump at a point above the level of fuel in the fuel reservoir from which the pump supplied With fuel." The other way in said connection is in the nature of a by-pass and establishes communication between the fuel delivery line and the outlet side of the pump at a point below thelevel of the fuel in the fuel reservoir whereby fuel is fed there through by gravity from said reservoir, the bypass being restricted so that a smaller amount of fuel Will be fed therethri'mgh than is otherwise fed throughthe main fuelsupply duct. will presently appear, the two.- way connection is provided in a single cast fitting of a simple andeconomical construction. i F i I The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing whereini Fig. 1 is a side elevation of'an oil burning apparatus embodying my invention shown in connection with aheater or furnace such as is used in homes; and

le to gravity feed opsupplyfor the driving burner.

from any suitable source suc age or some similar eventuality.

Fig. 2 is an enlargedsectional detail of the two-way connection by virtue of which the novel manner of operation herein described is secure i For the purposes of illustrating the presentinvention have selected the type of oil burning apparatus disclosedin my copendingapplicat'ion, Serial No. 45,448,.filed July 23, 1925,.but it will beunderstood that the invention is in no wise 'cationto this or any other specific form of Briefly stated the apparatus comstorage tank 3 supplied with oil for example as a storage tank! The oil is fed from the tank 3thr0ugh a shut-off valve 4 and strainer 5 through a pipe 6 into afloat chamber 7. The latter, as describedin my copending application, Serial No. 130,835, filedAugust 23, 1926, is equipped withalever 8 for depressing the valve stem 9 thereof toshut off the flow of oil to the burner in case of a failure of the flame or in case of excess leak- The oil is delivered from the float chamber 7 throu h a pipe 10 to a centrifugal pump 11. Tie latter has a rotary impeller in the casing thereof as described referred to. through the pump when it isout of action, as will appear hereinafter. The, float chamber 7 at acertain elevation with respect to the pump to supply fuel by gravity to the latter. 1 .At thispoint it may be remarked.

prises a that the oil in the float chamber 7 mainta ned at approximately the level of the line (1 :11. i The pump 11 is driven through a suitable resilient drive connection by a constant speed electric motor The .pump and motor are both mounted on a frame 13 in the manner shown. Thepump, as described in my. copending application first above referred to,has the-outlet l4 communicating with a fuel delivery pipe or line 15 and also a stand pipe 16. The revolving of the pump impeller raises the oil above the level of the float chamber to a certain level inthe stand pipe 16 which level is maintained substantially constant in the normal operation of the apparatus so that a constant feed of fuel through the line 15 to the furnace is assured.

The motor 12 also serves to drive an air blower fan 17 communicating through the delivery pipe 18 with the fire-pot] 19 in the furnace 20. The oil delivery line is extended limited in its app R in the application first This permits passage of oil dotted lines, 'to discharge into the 'fire-pet' 19. The'blower 17 is arrangelito beregulated to proportion the feeding of-air-to the feeding of oil, was described in-myoopending application. A control valve 21 serves to regulate the rate'of flowof m1 through the delivery line. The details thus far generally described fonnnopart ofthe present invention except insofar as they contribute to the novel "combination herein claimed.

It will be noted "that 'the outlet 14 has a pipe connection 22 withhffitting '23 -of a segmental or gener iiy 'tr'ranguiar form. The latter is preferably cast in onepiece to provide cored passe es'or ducts'24, 25 'a'nd 26 whereby-to pro'vi e a two wa'y connection establishing communication between the pipe 22-, and hence the outlet 'liofth'e pump 11, and the fuel delivery line 15 either through ti'IeductQE) 'or '26 or both. 'Ihe ductzfi servesas the main fuel 'suppl duct andcomrnuni'cateswitht'he outl'et'sid'ebf the pump through thelpassafg'e'24 at theport 27 which, itwi'll be noted'i'n Fig. 1,isat a ievl' above the line (zb, in mm words, above the level of the fuel in the float chamber 7. In the course of the normal operation of the apparatus "when fuel is maintained at a' certain ievel'in' the stand'pipe '16, it-will be obvious "that "fuel will be delivered throuih the duct 25to' the fuel deliveryline 15' at e pressure indicated by the level in the stand pipe "16. The duct -26 on the'otherhand'is in fthe nat'ure'ofa by-pass and establishes communication between the fuel delivery 7 line 15 and the outlet side oi the pum at the port 28 'vihi'ch b'low the 'level of he line ca-15 as showninFig. "1. Thatis, the duct 26will normally be 'fedwith fuel from'th e float "chamber '7 by gravity under a head represented by thexdi-fle'rence in "elevation of'the line' a-b and the'port '28. The port '28, or'the duct '26 for that'inatter, mayfbe provided of a restricted size so that a stnaiier amount of 'fuel will be fed 'therethrough than is normally "fed through the duct 25. For practical purposes it contem' ated that about one-third the 'fuilload oil'deliverywill be permitted to pass through the bypass duct 26. For the purpose'of're lating the restriction of the ort28, a nee ie valve 29threadin'g in the tting 23 isprovide d as shown inFig. 2. A'loc'k nut 30' and packing washer 31 are provided for the valve 29for obvious reasons.

III operation it will, therefore, appear that so long as'thepump 11" operated nt'itsn'ormal speed by the motor 12, aflcertain level of 'fuel'ivill be maintained inrthe stand pipe 16 and that 'fuel \viil consequently bodied through'the mainfuel supply' duct 25 into the fuel delivery line 1 5' andirom thenceto thefire-pot 19', asdtermined-by the setting motor -1-2, the oil level in the stand pipe 16 -drops-down:to'and;beloyv the port 27 to the level of the line a-b, thus discontinuing the feeding difliltiirbugh the main fuel supply duct 25. In the ease of an oil burning apparatus dfthe ordinary type the flame in the fire- 0t 19 would conse uently be extinis ed. However, aeour ingtdthe present invention a-sn'tali How of oil is permitted throughthe bygass 26% itepip'a snail-flame burning in the re pot EWh e themotnr or the pump 'ismnporarily out of'operatiun; The b =pass valve 29 is'niijuste'd, or thebypass act is videtldf such "a size, that about one thi of theriotmal {full dead 1 oil delivery is fed to the burner. Ithas found that the burnervjviii inan'emnrgen operate-satisfactorily with this amount *ri f fuel with natural chimney drift withoutu'ndue smoking duri *a' temporary shut down ofafew hionrs. n'assoon as the urnp is restoredto ope'ration,'as fore'xampie-hy the eleotric currentsup ly 'being restored, the burner will pick in mmits-small'gravityilame'toitshorm' "Raine. Inthis way the fire-pot isnever permitted to coolofiso as to require preheating. In fact, this manner of'automatic avoidsthe necessity of l iooking lifter-the cr attending to it in any way when thekhiit down is due simply to a tenipdraryfailfire 6fthe electric current supply. 'Where-'the failure ofthe apparatusis due to wine other cause itwill, 6 course, beobviousfrom the-description that the' burner will be "kept; operating until the fault is remedied.

It is believed that the foregoingdeseription conveys a clear understanfl'rngof 'the invention and of its tpurposes and advantages and, while'lhave illustrated butawsin- 'gle working embodiment,-it should be understood that various changewmigiit be made in the construction or arran enter; its as may "he required in di rent applications and 'for "furnaces and'heaters of'fli fierent types without, however," departing from the spirit and scope of the invention'as expressed in the appended elairns.

1. In a liquid ful *hurn'rng apparatus s, pumpya'fuel reservoir 'ata certain elevation with respect thereto'fdr-deliveringf-uel to said pump by -gravity,a' fuel delivery line "to be supplied with fuel fnom Siid'pump normally under a certain presume and extending to a furnace to be supplied with fuel,

a stand pipe communicating with the outlet side of said pump and artangedto havem certain flevelof fuel maintained therein in the normal operation said pump,-an'd -.a

' two-way connect-ion "between the outlet" Side of said pump and'said fueldiivtryiinemid serving as a main fuel supply duct and establishing communication'between the outlet side of said pump and said'fuel delivery line at a point above the level of the fuel in said fuel reservoir, and the other way in said connection serving as a by-pass establishin communication between the outlet side 0 said pump and the fuel'delivery line below the level of fuel in said fuel reservoir whereby to be fed with'fuel by gravity therefrom, but being restricted so that the rate of flow of fuel therethrough is slower than is otherwise the case through the other connection.

2. In a liquid fuel burning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, the provision of a'regulating valve for adpisting the restriction of said by-pass connection.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a pump having;

7 an impeller in the casing thereof which permits tie passage of fuel through the casing when the pump is inactive, a fuel supply line extending to the pump furnishing fuel to the inlet thereof under a-given low head,

and a single fueldelivery line leading from the pump outlet to a burner supplied thereby,

vsaid line having a normal feed opening at a certain elevation reached by fuel during the operation of the pump and having at a lower level, low enough to be reached by fuel fed under the low head from the supply line through the pump casing, a restricted by pass opening which, when the pump is inactive, is arranged to conduct to the burner the fuel seeping through the pump casing.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of-a pump having an impeller in the casing thereof which permits the passage of fuel through the casing when the pump is inactive, a fuel supply line extending to the pump furnishing fuel to the inlet thereof under a given low head, a single fuel delivery line leading from the pump outlet toa burner supplied thereby, and a single fitting connected betweensaid pump. and. said line, said fitting having-a normal feed opening at a certain elevation reached by fuel during the operation of the pump and having at a lower level, low enough to be reached byfuelfed under the low head from the supply line through the pumpcasing, a restricted by-pass opening which, when the pump is inactive, is

arranged to conduct to the burner the fuel seeping through the pump casing.

5. In a liquid fuel burning apparatus,

the combination with a single fuel delivery a line, a pum for feeding fuel thereto, and

means supp ying fuel to the pump, of a two way connection between the line on the one hand and the pump and fuel supply means on the other hand,said connection comprising a body having. a fuel inlet opening communicating with the pump and supply one end of the intake end of thefirst meansand a fuel outlet opening icommunieating with theline, and a pair of passages thereinaffording communication between the inlet opening and the'outlet opening, one

of. said passagesbeing arranged forcommunicationwith the inlet opening at acertaln level and permitting a restricted flow of fuel therethrough to the outlet opening,

the flow of fuel through the first mentioned passage.

7. In a liquid fuel burning apparatus,

the combination with a single fuel delivery line, a pump for feeding fuel thereto, and

means supplying fuel to the pump, of a twoway connection between the line on the one hand and the pump and fuel supplymeans on the other hand, said connection comprising a cast hollow body generally triangular in form, tl'ie'passage in the base permitting only a restricted flow of fuel therethrough, and the passages in the two sides permitting arelatively unrestricted flow of fuel therethrough,an outlet opening connected to the aforesaid line and communicating with the base passage and also with one of the side passages, an inlet opening connected to the pum and fuel supply means and communicating with the second sidepassage so as to be in communication with the intake end of the base passage and the being so disposed in use that the intake end of the base passage is at a lower elevation than the intake end of the first side passage.

8. Any apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein the two-way connection has a needle valve threaded into the body at one end .of the base to control the fiow of fuel through the basepassage.

9. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein the two-way connection has the inlet opening at the junction of the base and one side of the body, the provision of an opening at the other end of said side, and

a stand pipe extending from said opening.

10 In a liquid fuel burning apparatus,

the combination of a main fuel supply tank, a float chamber supplied therefrom and arranged to maintain a predetermined constant level therein solong as there is fuel in the main supply tank, a pump supplied with fuel from the float chamber, a fuel delivery line supplied with fuel from the pump, and a two-way fitting between said pump and said line havinga restricted low level gravity feed passagebelow the level of fuel maintained in said float side passage, the body chamber, 7

l 6 now-Ma and a high lavel force feedpassage above 12- Anappamtus asrm forth. in claim-10 the level of fuel maintained in said float including a valve fion varying thei restricc-hamber. tion of the gravity feed mags, v m 11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 10 In witness of the foreg ing I affix my 5 including a standpipe connected to said signature. 7 l 1 l fitting and extending above the level of the I lust mentioned passage. 7 JOHN H. MOILVAINE. 

